Behind The Masks: Season Three
by Oath Flame X13
Summary: The hardest story he's ever had to tell. Chris explains what happened after Milton was locked in the eternal negacion, and why charlie was acting so strange. can he and mike escape what is coming to them?
1. Chapter 1

Behind The Masks  
Season 3  
Chapter 1: Back for more

My name is Chris Guruma and… honestly I don't know how to begin. Out of all the stories I can tell, this is the hardest one. I'm not sure if it's because of what it tells, or because it's so complex. I'm not sure how to begin, but I suppose I'll just fix it as I go along.

After having locked Milton up inside the Negacion, Charlie seemed to have distanced himself from us. At first he just said he was really busy with "something" and that he didn't have time to hang out like he used to. But then he distanced himself even more from us. He avoided us in between classes; he wouldn't call or pick up our calls; nothing.

Mikey told me he had actually gone to his house a few times but he was "never there". Even his girlfriend Mia seemed to know nothing about him aside from a few phone calls she said they had every day for about 15 minutes. Just looking at Mia, I could tell how much she loved him. She had actually become even closer to Milton's ex-girlfriend Zile than she already was.

After about a month strange things started happening all around the planet. Strange earthquakes in places that have never had one; tornadoes in the Caribbean, snow in Hawaii, there was even a snowstorm in Texas! It was as if Mother Nature had gone out for a weekend trip and never came back.

People were starting to get scared. Mikey and I wished we could do something, but unless it was some sort of Hollow causing it all, we really couldn't do anything; except pray for everything to go back to normal.

One day, as we were walking to the parking lot with our girls Isa and Lahara we sensed a strong current of reiatsu. Lahara and I are more sensible to reiatsu, causing us to get dizzy for a second. Lahara lost her footing and landed on my arms. We told them to go home and flew out to investigate.

When we got to central park, I quickly put on Tennotsukai's cape. We looked around to see where the reiatsu came from. We were surrounded by hollows, the real kind, not the shadow people hollows we fought before. There were hundreds, all over the place. We released out Zanpaktou and began the battle.

"Come Forth… Arufa"

"Descend… Tennotsukai"

We slashed all around us like mad. Every time we turned another hollow was right in our faces. They seemed endless, like if they multiplied. Three of them ganged up on me from behind, I pushed myself backwards sliding under them, and then fired the silver Getsuga Tenshou; three down. Mikey was on the other side beating the crap out of them with his reiatsu punches.

The battle seemed to be endless, until a strange voice came from close by.

"That's enough" it said menacingly

Which was when I noticed that the hollows weren't the source of the reiatsu we sensed earlier; it was that voice. It was so familiar, yet so obscure. The hollows vanished at the sound of the voice. Mikey got to where I was, but just as he was about to say something a strange portal opened behind us.

B-side

A tall, thin figure stepped out. He was dressed in white; his shirt open in the center showing a hole in between his chest and his abdomen. His right eye was covered by what seemed to be a bone like mask, while his left eye had a scar over it, as well as his chest, with an 'X' shaped scar.

"You… how" Mikey asked

He laughed at us like a madman. We looked at each other confused, and then looked back at him. He turned his head slightly and spoke to someone.

"Go ahead"

Another figure stepped out from behind him. He was about as tall as Milton was, also dressed in white. His face was covered by bandages. He drew out what seemed to be a Zanpaktou, while walking towards us. We picked up our stances, ready for anything. He took an impulse step, flying towards us. We protected ourselves with our blades, while he simply used his arm to block us.

He flipped around in midair and dropped his blade towards us. We dodged, but the blade hit the ground creating a shock wave. We were sent flying to opposite sides. We landed and pushed off towards him. He stopped Mikey's sword with his sword and stopped mine with his hand. He pulled me towards Mikey making us crash into each other.

He quickly kicked me sending me flying, then grabbed Mikey by the neck and threw him at me. We crashed again. All this time we could hear Milton laughing his butt off, while that other guy with the bandages seemed to not even be trying to fight; and yet he was wiping the floor with us. Mikey and I joined fists and pointed a hand towards the bandaged guy.

"GRAN REY CERO"

A gold cero and a silver cero were shot at him. He stopped them with his hands, and then closing his fists disintegrated them like nothing. Milton continued laughing. We took an impulse step and flew towards him, but were stopped by his fists, falling to the ground.

"Who is this guy?" Mikey whispered to me

"I think it's time you tell them." Milton told the guy

He removed his bandages, and threw them aside. The man in front of us had some sort of wound, which was covered by another bandage, in his left eye. The rest of the left side of his face was covered by a bone like mask.

"Charlie?" I asked

"The one and only, new and improved" He said walking back towards Milton.

Milton raised his hand, opening up a Garganta. The gray tunnel opened wide enough for the two of them; they walked inside. Right before it closed up Milton turned his head towards us.

"I told you you'd regret it."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: A call for help

So…after God knows how many years of being friends, we were now mortal enemies; and the worst part was that we weren't strong enough to defeat them. We had to do something… but right now the only thing we could do, as usual, was brainstorm. We went to Lahara's place and sat around her round mahogany table, right next to the window. The soft breeze that came inside made you want to forget all your troubles; but my troubles were too much to be forgotten.

"Ok, tell me that again." Isa said

"Ok you know our friend Charlie right?" Mikey said

"Yeah"

"He found a way to revive Milton."

"Yeah"

"Now he's with Milton"

"Yeah"

"And he wants to kill us"

"Ok… gotcha"

"Now we need a way to defeat them… or seal them permanently" I said

"But how do you know Charlie's bad too?" Isa asked

"Well he was wearing the Arrancar uniform, and his reiatsu was off the scales, just like Milton's. Not to mention the way he kicked our butts." I said

"Don't remind me dude that was horrible." Mikey said

"Plus he made no mention of it being a test or a joke… so I'm guessing he's bad too" I said

"The question is; what do we do now?" Mikey asked

"I'm not sure… I think we reached our limits in power, but if we didn't, unlocking that power is gonna be hard." I said

"Why don't you ask for help?" Lahara said

"Come again" I responded confused

"Ask for help. If you got powers when you bought your Zanpaktou, what tells you other people didn't get the same result from anything else they bought?"She said

"She has a point, maybe it is possible" Isa said

"Well it sounds like a good plan, but how do we call any other Shinigami out there?"

We remained in thought for a few seconds. A bunch of things popped up in my head, but they would be kinda weird and risky. We couldn't tell the press we were looking for more people with strange powers; that would just attract us attention with no results. We couldn't post an ad online because people would think it's just another joke or some sort of psycho MMORPG. My mind went blank for a few seconds, when out of nowhere Lahara came out with something I had completely forgotten I could do.

"Kidou"

"What?" we all said in unison

"There's a Kidou spell that is used to deliver a message… umm"

"Bakudou no go-juu-hachi" I said completing her sentence

"Dude, I don't know Japanese like that" Mikey said

"Defensive spell number 58; picking Tose, chasing quail." Isa said

"You know Kidou too?" Lahara asked Isa

"Just their names, and what some of them do" Isa responded

"Dude… that's is HOT" Mikey said

"That's right… I had totally forgotten" I said

"If you use that spell you can send a global message to all Shinigami asking them for help" Lahara said

"It's the best thing we can do I guess… or the only thing we can do" I said

"But for now, why don't you guys lay low, at least until tomorrow" Isa said

And so we did. We went back home and just tried to relax. My folks almost had a heart attack when they heard what happened. They were grateful it wasn't too bad. They actually gave me a few ideas about what to do if the Kidou worked. They were scared for me, I could feel it; but they were totally okay with what I had to do.

A few minutes before I went to bed I looked around for my tiny, old looking, prepaid cell phone; I called Lahara.

"Hey, what's up?"

"I need a favor from you"

"What is it?"

"Tomorrow… I need you to help me with the Kidou"

"Okay"

"Wait… just like that?"

"Yeah… why not?"

"Thanks"

"No prob."

"I love you, good night."

"I love you too, good night"

B-side

The next day I woke up early… actually I couldn't really sleep much so it was kind of easy waking up. As the sunlight came in from the window and shone upon my face, I felt the urge to start casting the Kidou, but it was a bit too early so I decided to be patient, no matter how much the sun shone in my face.

I knew I needed strength for what was coming, so I decided to push the limits a little on the workout routine Mikey taught me. After locking Milton up in the Negacion Mikey got me into working out so I would gain more physical strength to balance it out with my spiritual strength. I usually did a total of 80 pushups, but I decided to push it up to 120.

It was harder than I thought, but I felt like my body needed it, even if my muscles felt like they were on fire. I actually felt good to going beyond my physical limits, but I felt like it would be impossible to go beyond my spiritual limits. Arrancars have been known to have a second level of resurrection, but I have never heard of a Shinigami or Vizard to have a second Bankai. I was scared.

A little before noon, Lahara called asking me to go to her place for the Kidou. As I walked downstairs I found my parents patiently waiting for me with a ribbon tied box. They smiled and just handed it to me without saying a word. I opened it to find the last thing I had on my mind they would give me: A complete Shinigami uniform; right down to the white sash.

I put it on quickly and adorned it with Tennotsukai's white captain like cape. We hugged, and they told me to be careful and that no matter what to remember that they loved me, and they would be there for me regardless of the circumstances. I left for Lahara's, more confident than ever. I had a little conversation with Tennotsukai along the way.

"The captain title suits you well." He said

"Why do you say that?"

"I just think it does. You look like the soft yet imposing kind of person."

"I look imposing?"

"Of course you do"

"Says the 6 foot 5, muscular angel, huh?"

"The way you look has nothing to do with the way I look."

"I guess not. But do you really think I can be captain?"

"Yeah"

"I'll do my best."

When I got to Lahara's, she was waiting for me outside. We went to the backyard where Mikey and Isa were waiting for us. Lahara and I sat down in the center of the backyard. The soft, freshly cut grass tickled my legs as I sat down. We crossed out legs in lotus position and held hands so we could share our energy. We began by saying the message we wanted to be spread.

"A call to all Shinigami in the distance: We need your help. A great threat has been awoken, and it is too powerful to take it down by ourselves. We need to combine strengths if we wish to save our world. If you wish to help us defeat this great evil, I will be sending a signal into the sky often. Follow the signal and you will reach us. We thank you in advance."

I closed the message, and then together with Lahara summoned the Kidou.

"Bakudou no go-juu-hachi: Kakushi Tsuijyaku; Heart of the south, eye of the north, fingertips of the west, heel of the east, gather with the wind and scatter with the rain."

A small energy circle formed between us. It rose up high towards the sky, and then expanded as a ring until it was no longer visible. We did it, we delivered the message. Quickly after that I raised my index and middle fingers up to the sky and sent the signal.

"Hadou no yon; Byakurai"

The white beam rose up high and, after about two seconds, disappeared. I was hoping it was enough for a signal, but I was also scared that Milton and Charlie would sense it and come our way. Luckily that didn't happen. What did happen was a severe case of total boredom.

We waited until nighttime, sending Kidou signals every hour on the hour, but nobody showed up. I didn't know if it was because they were too far away, or because they didn't exist. It was thanks to Lahara that I kept my faith up. That's how awesome she is.

Once it was completely dark, I sent once more signal towards the sky, and we all headed back home. I honestly thought no one was going to show up, but at least I could actually sleep that night. The next day, very early, I was woken up by the sound of my phone. It was Lahara.

"Chris, could you come home, like, right away I mean."

"Sure, but what's up, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, but there's something you kinda have to see."

"Ok, I'll be there as soon as I can"

I quickly swallowed some breakfast and headed to Lahara's as fast as I could. I parked my car all crooked-like in front of her house. She came running towards me and greeted me with a kiss, which I liked. She then took me by the hand and led me to her backyard. What I saw left me completely speechless/jaw dropped/awestruck/anything else you use to describe something so utterly impressing you can't find words to say how overwhelmingly awesome it is.

"Oh my God… there's hundreds."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The New Squad

Lahara's backyard was covered in black uniforms. There were hundreds of Shinigami all over the place apparently waiting for me. Okay there weren't hundreds but maybe a hundred would describe it. As soon as they saw me they all turned towards where I was and started asking random questions.

"Was that you?" "Who are you?" "What are we here for?" "What do you want with us?" "What do we do now?"

I didn't know what to say, especially having so many questions to answer all at once. My first instinct was to calm everybody down first. So I did.

"EXCUSE ME!"

It worked, they all stopped talking. I continued talking.

"We called you all here because we need your help. Like we said, a great evil force has been awoken and we need as many people as possible to help put them where they should be… or at least knock some sense into them." I said

"And who is this 'we'?" somebody asked

"My friends Mikey, Isa, Lahara and myself" I said

"Umm, Chris… maybe you should take them somewhere else." Lahara said

I quickly thought of a place: The old storage house way in the other side of town. It was a big place, big enough for a hundred Shinigami anyway. I told them to follow me and flew off to the storage house. Lahara was going to drive Isa to the same spot as soon as we all left.

As we made our way towards the spot I wondered what I was going to do. Was I going to teach them something or were they going to teach me? Would they even listen to me, or even believe me? Or would they just think were crazy? As we got closer to the storage house I got more and more nervous.

Finally after 15 minutes we got there. We went in through the broken windows followed by the group of countless Shinigami. The inside of the building was darker than I thought. We made our way to the top floor, which happened to be completely clear f junk, unlike the other two floors. I looked around the walls using the light that came in through the broken window and found a light switch.

To my surprise, the lighting was still working. Mikey found some black blankets around and used them to cover the windows. The room was big enough for all of us and still had lots of free space. Everybody seemed to be as anxious as we were. Mikey told me to say something, so I tried speaking.

"Well… you already know why you're here... so"

"All right man hold up"

A guy said walking towards me. He was a little shorter than I was, and very skinny. He had dark skin, very short hair, and an incredible sense of either bravery or foolishness. He came up to me and confronted me.

"Look man, just because you called us here doesn't mean you're gonna boss us around, got it?" he said

"Can you at least tell me your name first?" I asked

"Brian" he said

"Okay Brian… if you don't want to be here you don't have to. We simply asked for your help. It's up to you whether you stay here or not. One thing I can tell you though, is that your probably gonna get scared once we face the end of all of this." I said

"Clever" Tennotsukai spoke into my mind

"Scared? Me? Yeah right! I eat hollows for breakfast. You can't even face off against your own friends without asking for backup. If you were really as good as you made everyone think you could take these guys no problem. Why don't you tell me what have you done as a Shinigami?" He said

I took a deep breath and started talking.

"Oh boy. What have I done as a Shinigami? Well… I conquered my inner hollow, I defeated a Vasto Lorde, and I faced off against one of my friends and won by looking him inside a Negacion, not to mention the countless criminals we tortured ever so slowly and painfully to show them not to mess with us. And now I'm about to face against two of my friends, whom have become the most powerful and deadly beings most of us know." I had to stop in order to catch my breath

Brian remained silent for a few seconds, and then tried to back himself up.

"Oh yeah and what could that be?" he asked

"Arrancar" I said

Utter silence struck the room. A few voices were heard from random spots of the room. "What are we supposed to do then?" "Can we face the Arrancar?" "I don't know, ask the captain." "Yeah he should know he looks strong" "Somebody ask him!"

"Apparently everybody thinks you're strong. If you really are strong, then you won't mind facing me in battle, right?" Brian asked

"If it makes you happy, then let's go"

Everybody moved to opposite sides of the room, leaving a large space right through the center of the room. Brian walked to the other side and faced me.

B-side

Brian drew out his Zanpaktou, I drew out mine.

"I bet you've never faced off against a specialty Shinigami" he said

"Specialty? Of what?" I asked

"Shunpo" he said, disappearing from my site

I moved my blade towards the left, blocking an incoming blade with a loud crashing sound.

"You're pretty fast… but… I guess I'm faster" I said

He was angry at me for stopping his attack. He moved backwards, and then moved in at the same blinding speed. I blocked him again. He started moving back and forth at different angles using his Shunpo speed, but everything resulted in a blocked blade.

He flew backwards all the way, and then moved towards me in a straight line. I was about to raise my blade for a block, when he disappeared. I quickly took an impulse step forward dodging a falling Zanpaktou. I turned in midair to see a cracked floor, and a quick moving Shinigami.

I blocked him again, still in midair, and then slashed back sending him flying. We landed on opposite sides of the room. Brian swiped his fingers through his Zanpaktou as he raised it upwards.

"Wind up… Ryukasai!"

His Zanpaktou became wider, as well as longer. It changed shape, becoming somewhat diamond edged. Two thin lines ran through it, giving the impression that it could break into three pieces. I was somewhat confused. How could a Shinigami who specializes in speed have such a bulky blade for a Shikai? It didn't matter; I was going to win anyway. I took my stance.

"I'm giving you a chance to release your blade. Take it!" Brian said

"Why?" I asked

"If I get a power up, so should you." He said

"Okay… but does it have to be my Shikai?"

"It's not like you have anything else… right?" he said

"Maybe I do" I said

I put my hand inside my shirt and pulled out a white, bone like mask. Unlike the others, this one didn't have the teeth marks. Instead it had multiple light blue streaks around the eyes. I saw Brian's jaw dropped expression and smiled back as sinisterly as I could. I put on my mask and instantly a large wave of reiatsu spread across the room. I heard a couple of voices around the room.

"Oh my God, he's a Vizard." "No way a Vizard" "That is so cool!"

I remembered how I have never seen myself with the mask on. I used my blade as a mirror to see it. It wasn't very different from the others. The white part of my eyes was black, and the colored part was the same blue tone as the lines on the mask. I turned towards Brian; he had picked up his stance.

"Ichi no mai!" Brian said summoning

His Zanpaktou shone for a second and broke into three blades. He held one in his right hand, and joined the other two handles, holding them both with his left hand. It was pretty cool. He moved in towards me slashing like a mad man, but I blocked all of his attacks without even moving.

I could feel the reiatsu in each swing, but he needed to learn how to control his blades well, or else he's just swinging around a bunch of pieces of metal. I continued blocking all his blades until he seemed to get tired, lowering his speed a little. I moved all his blades aside with a quick swipe, and then grabbed him by the neck.

"You got guts kid… I like that; but you're still no match for me." I said throwing him flying backwards.

I took off my mask and looked around.

"Anybody else want a challenge?" I asked

The room was silent. Brian's Zanpaktou turned back to normal, as he approached me.

"Alright… you win. I'll help you." Brian said

"Thank you… who else is with us?"

The entire room roared with excitement. That battle had won us an entire squad. We were one step closer.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Secrets Revealed

I looked around at all the Shinigami that were now on our side. Tennotsukai was right when he said about me being captain.

"All right. My names Chris Guruma. I want you all to meet my buddy Mikey, he's a Vizard too. This is my girlfriend Lahara, and Mikey's girlfriend Isa. Now seeing as you guys are… a whole bunch, were gonna have to divide you into groups. Does anyone here know how to release their Zanpaktou?" I asked

But only about ten of them raised their hands. We were gonna have to train them.

"Let's see… okay, those of you who want to specialize in offense will go with Mikey; those of you who want to specialize in Kidou will come with me. Is that cool?" I said

They divided themselves into two groups; Mikey's group had more people, which was surprising. I talked to Mikey before doing anything. We agreed to leave him the top floor, since it had more space, while Lahara and I went to the second floor. My squad and I cleared everything and made space. We then moved on to training, which is when I noticed Brian had chosen to be in my squad.

"Okay, the first thing you need to know about Kidou is that you need to focus your mind on both the spell and the target, otherwise it won't work. It sounds hard at first, but it's really quite simple. I need a volunteer though." I said

"I got this!" Brian jumped up and said

"Really?" I asked

"I need to learn some more, I'm guessing this is the best way to start." He said

"Oh… okay then, you ready?"

"Bring it!"

I pointed my hand towards him with only my middle and index fingers pointing upwards.

"This is one of the more simple spells. Don't get me wrong, it's still very effective. Now, notice the position of the hand. You probably already know what I'm about to do, so when you're going to perform this spell, the faster you do it, the better." I said

"Why is that?" Brian asked, I lowered my hand

"Because, if you take your time the opponent will see your hand, know what you will do, and evade it." I said

"And how fast should we do it?" Brian asked, I raised my reiatsu

"Like this… Bakudou no Ichi, Sai" I cast the spell

Brian's arms flew behind his back and 'tied' themselves there.

"What the?"

"Okay… let's see now… if you want to undo the spell all you have to do is swipe your hand in the air in the direction of the opponent. Now the down side of the spell is that if you opponent's reiatsu rises enough, it can be undone." I said

"Dude, can you untie me already?" Brian said

"Oh right, my bad" I said, untying Brian

"That was pretty cool… just don't do it on me next time okay?" Brian said

"Whatever. Now I want you guys to practice this Kidou on each other for today. Brian, you practice with Lahara." I said

"Really?" Lahara asked me

"Totally" I said and they split into pairs to practice

B-side

After about two hours we finished our training. As everybody left I told them to meet back here in two days.

"I promise I'll get something ready for next time. Keep practicing!" I said

"Chris… I did it!" Lahara said

"You did!"

I celebrated with her with a kiss. She hugged me tightly and we cuddled.

"Oh, that's cute" Mikey said as he came out

We stopped cuddling, our faces turning red.

"Today went great… but I'm bushed, lets go home" Mikey said

"Yeah… you're right" I said

"I'll go get the car" Isa said as she ran off

We walked out towards the other side of the building. Suddenly we sensed a current of reiatsu, opening up in the form of a portal. Charlie walked out with a small smile on his face. Mikey and I drew our Zanpaktou.

"Lahara, stay back." I said

"Don't worry, I'm not here to fight" Charlie said

"Then what are you here for?" I said, as we put our Zanpaktou back

"I'm here to talk" he answered

"What? About how you betrayed your own kind?" I said

"I didn't betray anyone… might I remind you how it feels to be in a Negacion, oh right, you wouldn't know because you've never been there!" he said

"Charlie you have to understand, Milton is evil!" I said

"From my point of view you're evil!" Charlie said unleashing a current of reiatsu

"Why'd you do it Charlie?" Mikey asked

"You betrayed your only friend!" he said

"He betrayed us!" Mikey said

"The plan was to stop him, not lock him up! You're the one's who betrayed us; you're the ones who should be stopped!" Charlie screamed, intensifying his reiatsu.

Lahara trembled in dizziness, falling to the ground. Charlie took a deep breath lowering his reiatsu all the way.

"I distanced myself from you so I could reach the level of power I needed. I unsealed the Negacion you put on Milton. I released his power. I restored his energy. It's thanks to me he's here, and it's thanks to him I am what I am. We helped each other mutually. Unlike you, all you did was hold us back." he said

"How did we ever hold you back?" I asked

"You were always giving the commands. We never had a chance to do anything we wanted." Charlie answered

"That's not true. You know we were equals. We never had a leader because we could all lead." I said

"SHUT UP!" he said disappearing from my site

He appeared in front of me and grabbed me by the neck, lifting me up into the air.

"There's nothing you can do to stop us; so I recommend not even trying." he said

He then dropped me and flew off into the sky where he opened up a Garganta and flew inside. Lahara ran to me and hugged me. Just then Isa got the where we were with the car. She got out and ran towards us.

"What was that?" she asked

"That was Charlie" mikey said

"What happened?" she asked

"I'm guessing were dead."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Multiple Release

After the encounter with Charlie we went back to Isa's house. Zyle and Mia were there. We told them everything that happened, which caused total drama with Mia.

"Oh my God… I… can't believe it." she said as tears ran down her face.

"I know" I said

"but we have to stop him" Mikey said

"I know… it's just… so hard… I just need some time" she said

"Just remember girl, were here for you." Lahara said

"I know… thanks" Mia said

"and hey… if I could do it… you can too." Zile said

"but don't you miss him?" Mia said

"I do… but I can't do anything other than remember the good times." Zile said

"I guess so…" Mia said

"We can stay with you if you want." Isa said

"No… it's okay, I'll be fine. You guys go home" Mia said

We stayed a few more minutes, and then left. Later that day I went out to the store where I got the masks. I hadn't been there in a long time. As soon as I got there I felt somewhat nostalgic, as if I was coming back home. It was a little weird.

As I walked inside I noticed all the changes that had been made to the inside of the store. It was now very well lit, with lots of different colored light bulbs. The displays were now inside glass boxes, and everything else was arranged in neat lines, leaving an open space from the door to the registry desk. I walked over toward the same red-head guy that sold the masks last time I came.

"Evening Captain!" he said with a smile

"What, hey… you're"

"I'm on the squad… Mikey's squad actually." he said cheerfully

"Wow… what a small world" I said

"Yup. don't worry, your secret is safe." he said

"Cool"

"So whatcha lookin for?" he asked

"Do you have any of those captain capes but without the symbol on the back?" I asked

"Yeah we got a couple of those, right over there, next to the gumball machine." he said pointing to where they were.

I went over and picked one out. I tried it on, but it seemed to be able to cover me like a giant blanket. It was perfect for Mikey, since he was kinda bigger than I was. Come to think of it, I was the shortest one amongst my friends… kinda sucks doesn't it?

Anyway, I went back to the register and asked for a symbol maker so I could print a symbol to the back of the cape. Lucky for me they had some pre-made ones. I asked the red head dude if he had any that meant earth. He then printed the earth symbol to the back of the cape. It looked amazing.

"How much?" I asked

"Nothing" he said, as if trying to state something obvious

"Nothing?" I asked confused

"Nope. Captains get a 100% discount; don't worry I'll fix everything up with my uncle later." he said

"Ok… I guess. Hey, that time when I came here to get the masks… did you know they were… you know, real?" I asked

"I had no clue. I just sold them like any other item. You seemed to have been able to control them well, which was cool. On the other hand… it because of me your friends are Arrancars, huh?" he said

"No… its their own fault. They decided to do what they did; its their own fault… mostly anyway." I said

"Don't worry Captain, we'll take 'em on no problem." he said cheerfully

"What's your name?" I asked

"Axel"

"We'll I'll see you around Axel." I said as I left the store

After leaving I went back home and told my parent what we had done that day. I felt really comfortable being able to speak to them about something so dangerous, and yet they approved. At least they knew it was for a good cause. Afterwards I called Lahara and told her about my little surprise. The was as excited as I was.

Nothing much happened the next day. I was actually kinda worried. If Milton and Charlie weren't acting up, it was because they were planning something. When I checked the news there was a report of strange marks and trails that lead to either human disappearances, or animal massacres. None of the marks matched with that of wild animals, which means, it was something else.

B-side

It was finally time to meet with the other Shinigami. Everyone was there on time. I had prepared a little something special for them, so we didn't split the groups like last time. Mikey and I stood in front of everyone, where I made the announcement, holding a plastic bag.

"Okay… so, I know that it's a little hard following someone who doesn't look like a captain. I know you guys are saying that he's not really a captain unless he has a symbol of authority. Well I'm just here to say that with or without a symbol, a captain is still a captain. Still… I decided to make it a little easier for you guys so… here you go Mike."

I pulled out the cape from the bag and handed it to Mikey. He was so thrilled he almost started jumping up and down. I noticed; but he managed to control himself.

"I, Chris Guruma, captain of the 1st squad, officially pronounce you, Mike Vinova, captain of the 2nd squad." I said

Mikey put on his cape, while everybody clapped him as welcome. Isa jumped out and hugged him tighter than ever.

"thanks Chris!" he said

"No problem. Now… Lahara and I prepared something special for you guys today. We're going to teach those of you who don't know… drum roll please!" I said

"bummmmmmmmm" Lahara said imitating a drum set

"Shikai!" I said, they all cheered… until Bryan had to come up and say

"What if we already know?"

"We have a little special something for those who already know you're Shikai." I said, shutting Bryan up. "If you manage to learn Shikai today, come to the second floor and show us.

We told the group what we did to release our Shikai. They sat down on the floor and concentrated on their Zanpaktou, like we did when we learned Shikai. Meanwhile, Bryan, Lahara, Isa, Mike and I went down to the second floor.

"So… what are we here for?" Bryan asked

"Kidou practice" I said

"I already know you're Kidou, I practiced; and frankly I'm not that into Kidou." he said

"Then why'd you choose my squad?"

"I wanted to fight you and win… I'll get the chance someday." He said

"Well you'll never have a chance unless you learn better Kidou." I said

"You've got a point there… okay, I'll learn your Kidou." he said

"Uh… dude… I still haven't been able to do the other one." Mikey said

"No problem… you can practice with Isa." I said

"Is that okay with you Isa?" Mikey asked her

"Sure thing; who knows, maybe I'll get a chance to activate my spiritual pressure too." she said cheerfully, and they went off to a corner to practice

"Like last time, you get to practice with Lahara." I said

"Yay!" Lahara said, she loved practicing Kidou

"Okay… so what is it this time, chief?" Bryan asked a bit more energized

"Number 33, Blue Fire Ball." I said

"Sounds intense!" Lahara said

"It is. Just point you're palm forward like this and… Hadou no san-juu-san, Soukatsui!" I said, as a blue energy ball flew forward from my hand and into the wall.

"Cool, I wanna try!" Lahara said as she tried it on the wall "Hadou no san-juu-san, Soukatsui!

A small burst of energy escaped Lahara's hand. It blew forward about three feet, but vanished before even coming close to the wall.

"Don't worry, you just need practice." I said comforting her

"I know… come on Bryan, I need a target!" she said cheerfully

"What? Me? Target? No way!" Bryan said as he backed away

"Captain!" I heard Axel call as he came down from the other room, he meant me

"What's up?" I asked

"I did it!" He said with a big smile, while I celebrated with him

"Awesome! Show me!" I said

"Ok, here goes. Singe… Hisaki" (Flames)

His Zanpaktou grew longer, and then started to bend until it had formed itself into a large circle. It let off a quick red glow growing several spikes all around. The handle was inside the circle. The final shape was that of a Shackram. It was amazing. He didn't show me much, but its name implied that it was a fire based Shikai.

After that, Axel joined our Kidou group and we continued practicing. After about three minutes some more Shinigami came in. As time kept going more and more came in, each holding a unique weapon. There were long blades, wide blades, boomerangs, morning stars, all kinds of weapons imaginable.

The next thing we knew, we had to move everyone back to the bigger room and continue practicing there. Everybody had achieved their Shikai. We were one step closer to victory. Once we were done we headed out. Our expressions of joy were wiped off as soon as we stepped outside.

A red blast of reiatsu blew up a large hole in front of us, creating a large cloud of smoke. At the other side of the smoke, two figures floated, arms crossed, waiting for us.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Clash

(Song: Live free or let me die - Skillet)

The smoke cleared, revealing what I already knew. Milton and Charlie floated above us. Charlie showed a slight smile, Milton was as serious as always.

"Why am I not surprised?" I asked

"Dude… does this mean we're dead?" Mike asked

"I'm pretty sure it does, don't you think Milton?" Charlie said

"All the way bro." Milton said calmly

"You guys get out of here!" I told the others

"No way man!" Bryan said back

"BRYAN! Shut you ass and go, now!" I said

"Chris!" Lahara said, as if trying to stop me

"You too Lahara, all of you, go!" I said once more

"Oh, how noble of you. Protecting the innocent." Milton said

"So very heroic of you, Chris. Very cute." Charlie said

We all remained silent. As soon as everybody left, Mike and I jumped into battle. Mike charged up his fists and flew straight into Milton. I disappeared and appeared right in front of Charlie; I put on my mask in a flash, and then sliced as fast as I could. I hit Milton slightly, but because he moved back quickly I couldn't do much damage.

_**Death until the dust, and we're waiting, ruined in the rust, of our cravingIt feels like, it feels like**_

"Descend… Tennotsukai!"

"Come Forth… Arufa"

_**Don't you know the cost, of your betrayal?, you're the one that's lost, you're gonna failIt feels like, it feels like you're gasping with all your might**_

All four of us buzzed around the sky slashing at each other madly. Enormous auras of pure reiatsu flashed all through the sky, summoning a spectrum of energy colors, similar to a rainbow. Milton kicked Mike towards where I was. I quickly grabbed Mike by the arm and threw him at Charlie, their blades clashed.

_**You can't take away my strength, Fix these broken veins, There's nothing left to fight **_

_**Live free or let me die**_

I then flew towards Milton, our blades clashed as well. I started slashing at different angles, using Sonido to warp around him as much as I could. But all my attempts were foiled by a fast moving blade. I kicked him in the gut, he kicked me in the face, breaking off part of my mask.

_**You can't take away my pride, I won't be denied, There's nothing left to fight **_

_**Live free or let me die**_

We flew off from each other, charged energy quickly and fired Cero's at the same time. They shot forward, crashing into each other. The explosion caused a massive cloud of energy dust. I flew in for an attack, but was blinded by all the dust. Tennotsukai spoke to me for a split second.

"Close your eyes."

I did as he told me without hesitation. I felt something coming. It was directly above me, and moved quickly. I moved backwards, my eyes still closed, and evaded the strike. I felt something else, bigger this time, like a Cero, coming from right in front of me. I flew upwards, evading the attack once more.

_**Insects walk below, I'm on a wire; Fire will burn below, but I am higherIt feels like, it feels like**_

_**Don't you know the cost, of your betrayal?, You're the one that's lost, you're gonna failIt feels like, it feels like you're gasping with all your might.**_

I escaped the smoke, looking at it from above. I saw a moving force, flying side to side like mad. I could sense him inside the cloud of spirit particles, but he couldn't sense me.

"Angel's Freeze"

I shot a blast of frozen reiatsu at Milton. It sent him downwards, away from the dust. I flew down after him, but as soon as I escaped the now vanishing cloud of dust, the first thing I saw was a massive purple Cero.

_**You can't take away my strength, Fix these broken veins, There's nothing left to fight **_

_**Live free or let me dieYou can't take away my pride, I won't be denied, There's nothing left to fight **_

_**Live free or let me die**_

Blast! The strike was eminent. I went down, hard. As I fell, I remembered the first time we all fought together, side by side. The way we covered each other's weaknesses, covering each others backs, and found victory together. I asked myself, if they remembered any of that.

_**Do you remember how you became who you are now?Do you remember how it felt to breathe without gasping with all your might?**_

Before I crashed, I felt another Cero, just as powerful, crashing against something else. I hit the ground, followed shortly by Mike, who landed not too far away from me.

_**You can't take away my strength, Fix these broken veins, Nothing left to fight**_

B-side

"Wow… you guys really are pathetic." Milton said

"It's like you're not even trying." Charlie said

"I… I'm not done yet…" I said struggling

"Me neither" Mike said, also struggling

BANKAI

"Tsuwamono Tennotsukai"

"Arufa Omega"

We released our Bankai with and explosion, releasing a small cloud of Spirit Particles. I heard a swift shifting, right before the cloud vanished. I saw my blade, pierced through Milton's right arm, and Mike's blade right through Charlie's chest.

We removed our blades, followed by a burst of blood. They took a step back, holding their wounds, with a surprised look on their faces. Milton's wound didn't seem too bad, but Charlie's wouldn't stop bleeding. They were about to open up a Garganta when a soft voice shouted Charlie's name.

"Charles… no!"

It was Mia.

"Mia, get out of here!" Mike shouted

"No!" she said back, coming close to Charlie

"Charles… no… please, don't hurt my Charles!" she said screaming, and crying

"What?" Mike and I asked at the same time

"Please Charles… take me with you! I can't bare to be without you anymore." She said as she placed her hands on his wound

Milton watched as confused as we were.

"Mia, what are you saying?" I asked

"Shut up Chris! Can't you see I NEED to be with my Charles!" she said

"Then what do you suppose we do?" Charlie asked in between breaths

"Take me with you… make me a part of you. If I'm inside of you, I wont be a bother. Eat me if you have to, just don't leave ever leave me!" she said, her hands still on his wound

"Well… that can be arranged!" Charlie said as he placed his hand on her head

"I love you Charles!"

"I'm sure I'm gonna love you too sweetie!" he said

Mia's body turned purple. It began to glow as it slowly compressed itself into the shape of a sphere about the size of a basketball. Charlie bought the sphere towards his mouth and took a bite off of it. It was the most disturbing image I have seen in my entire life.

He continued eating the sphere until there was nothing on his hands. His body let off a quick glow, and his wound was instantly healed. He began to shake, as if he were cold. His reiatsu intensified to an even higher level, causing the ground beneath him to crack.

"This power… so much power!" he screamed maniacally

"Dude… I think were dead for real now" Mike whispered

"I never thought Love could be so… so powerful! Gyahahahahahah!"

"I'd stay and kick some ass, but as you can see my arm is a little… indisposed for the moment… Garganta!" Milton said as the portal opened up

"I'll have to kill you later… as soon as I manage to control this power! Gyahahahahah!

They went inside the portal, disappearing.

_**You can't take away my strength, Fix these broken veins, There's nothing left to fight **_

_**Live free or let me dieYou can't take away my pride, I won't be denied, There's nothing left to fightNothing left to fight Live free or let me die**_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Change of plans

We had been defeated once again by our former best friends. We needed to change. Change tactics, change styles, but most of all, we needed a change of plans. Everyone met back at the warehouse the next day. Mike was completely silent…but luckily I found the words I needed.

"We were defeated in battle yesterday. I know its difficult to take in, and I wanted to thank you guys for sticking with us, even when all we did was ask randomly. Now… we might only have one more chance at a fight; and all I can say is that it won't be easy." I said

"Were with you captain!"

"Well never back down!"

"You have us Captain!"

"You got our backs Sir!"

A whole bunch of them said encouraging us. I felt their energy flow inside me… they gave me strength. It was amazing.

"Alright, were gonna have to change a few things. The first thing we need is a new training spot. Any ideas?" I asked

There was silence in the room for a few seconds. A guy raised his hand from the center of the crowd. I called him forward so I could see him better. He was a slim, broad shouldered guy, with black spiky hair and few blue tips. He seemed to be very agile, but also very quiet. His Zanpaktou had light blue wavy swirls all along the outside.

"What's your name?" I asked

"H-Hiroki, sir." he said quietly

"Do you know where we can train Hiroki?" I asked

"Well… there's this place… at the outskirts of town. I used to train there before I moved. It's a little far away, and its not very big… but it can fit about half of us… we would just need another spot for the other half." he said quietly

"Awesome… does anybody have another spot?" I asked

A girl close to the front raised her hand.

"I have a spot… I think…" she said smiling

"Where?" I asked

"Its right next to my place. There's an abandoned building that used to be an animal shelter until a storm hit it and blew away all the windows… now its just abandoned. Its pretty big if you take out all the junk it has inside." she said, still smiling

"Cool. We've got lots of time so we can check them out today. What's your name?" I asked

"Loren" she replied, still smiling

"Ok Loren, can you lead Mike's squad to your spot?"

"Sure… but… how do I get back to your squad?" she asked

"Oh… right… umm…" I stayed blank

"Can you write down the address?" Lahara asked her (awesome idea by the way, why didn't I think of that?)

"Uh… sure, I can do that!" she said… still smiling… she is a very smiley girl

"Okay then… lets get everything ready and move out." I said

"Dude, Chris…" Mike asked me in a whisper "Do you really think we can make it?"

"Totally… we've already been beat twice, so we already know most of their moves. We just have to be ready for their Resureccion, and well be good." I said

"Okay…" he said… still whispering

B-side

We split up. Mikes squad went out to Loren's abandoned animal shelter, while Hiroki lead us to his old home. We got there in about 15 minutes. There was a large open field, with a three story wooden house right in the center. Most of the wood on it was rotten and decayed, but the actual field seemed like a nice spot. The grass seemed to have been cut recently, and there were tire tracks on the road towards it. Someone was taking care of the grounds, but still left the house a mess.

We stopped right in front of the house, which is when Lahara pulled on my sleeve.

"What's wrong Princess?" I asked her

"Um… I have to go do something back home… is it cool?" she said in a low tone

"Sure thing. I'll pass by when were done here. Take care… and say hi to your mom for me, kay?"

"Sure… I love you Chris." she said

"I love you too." I said and we split with a kiss.

I told the everyone to go over their basic Kidou, then we practiced about 5 higher leveled Kidou. Most of them managed to get most spells done on their first try. Hiroki showed quite a mastery of his spiritual energy with his Kidou. They were almost as powerful as mine; even Tennotsukai was impressed.

After that, I went one by one answering their questions on Kidou. Stuff like why it didn't work, or why it was so weak. Most of them were just trying too hard to cast Kidou, but overall everyone did good.

I was about to leave, when I witnessed something so cute I just couldn't help but smile. Hiroki and Hana were talking… Hiroki was smiling.

"I'm Loren by the way"

"I'm Hiroki."

"Hey, did you get your Hadou 33 right… I couldn't get the name or the position right."

"I can help you, its not that hard."

"How is it?"

"… uh… you just put your hand forward like this."

"Like this?"

"Just a little higher… right here"

"Oh… and the spell?"

"its pronounced Soukatsui"

"Soo-cat-so-ee?"

"No, no… umm… Sou-kat-sui"

"Soukatsui?"

"Exactly, now say the whole thing."

"okay here goes… Hadou no san-juu-san, Soukatsui!"

A blue energy shot escaped Hana's hand. She jumped in joy and hugged Hiroki, and then she back away a little and shook his hand.

"Thank you…"

"Anytime."

She skipped her way out happily, leaving Hiroki to sigh for her. I called him over

"What's up Captain?" he asked

"You like Loren don't you?" I asked

"What? You must be crazy!… Is it that obvious?" he asked

"Not really, but I could tell."

"Do you think she'll like me?"

"Well… she did hug you." I said with a smile

"So… there's a chance for me?" he asked

"You just gotta play your cards right." I said… still smiling

"Thank you Captain." he said as he walked off

"Oh and Hiroki…"

"Yes?"

"Great Job out there today!"

"Thanks Cap."

After everyone had left, I flew over to Lahara's place. She was finishing a conversation with her mom and had just walked to the backyard. I landed softly on the red chair next to the wooden table.

"Hey" I said, waiting for her to come over

"We need to talk."

Oh crap… this sounds bad. She's either mad at me, or dumping me.

"What's up?" I asked

"I'm going out of town for a few days"

Oh thank heavens! … still, serious and concerned looking…

"How come?" I asked

"I'm not sure… I just feel like I need some time to clear my mind; maybe practice some Kidou or something. There's just been so much going on lately. School, Shinigami practice, Hollow hunting… well, I don't really go Hollow hunting; but I can feel every time you get hurt." she said with a sad expression on here face

"I get it, its cool." I said

"It is?"

"Totally. You need some time to relax and get back on track. Its ok. By the time you get back… all of this might already be over." I said

"I hope so."

"So, when do you leave?"

"Tonight. I wanna catch the sunrise at the beach tomorrow." she said, now smiling

"ok. Just be careful out there Princess."

"You too."


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter 8: Ready and set_

_After Lahara left, things continued normally with our training. Lahara called me everyday to tell me how much she missed me. She also said that her body was recovering the energy it lost in the past few days. With all the reiatsu flying through air, it really took a lot out of her. I was really hoping she could learn to control that so it wouldn't hurt her anymore._

_It had been about a week since she was away, and I couldn't wait to see her. Not much happened with Milton and Charlie for the time being. I was sure they were planning their next move. We had some problems with the occasional Hollow appearances, but nothing we couldn't handle._

_Over that week we had a lot of intense training. We did movement drills, practiced high level Kidou and reiatsu maneuvers, combination moves and all out rough battles. We were ready and set, we just needed our go. Two days after our last meeting we all agreed to meet back at the warehouse._

_We split both groups up into set of three, then practiced high speed ability switching. Its when we call out a technique and they perform it as fast as they can until we call out another technique. The first three were Axel, a blonde girl named Sarah, and Loren. They were just about to begin when I sensed I strange current of reiatsu._

_It was weak, but it was somehow multiplying; growing quickly. I stopped practice._

"_What's up Chris?" Axel asked_

"_There's something happening… its getting stronger." I said_

"_How do you know dude?" Mike asked_

"_I feel it."_

"_I feel it too." Hiroki said_

"_We have to move. It's getting way too big."_

"_Were right behind you chief!" Brian said as he started out the door_

_We all followed quickly; which was when Brian realized he didn't know where he was going. I took the lead and shortly Mike began feeling the same thing I did. The energy sent us to the same place where we fought Milton before… everything was just like last time. We had found our go._

_B-side_

_We arrived at the spot. Mike, Loren, Brian, Axel, Hiroki, and I seemed to be leading. There were hordes of Hollows filling the place. Crashing into each other, jumping around, destroying everything they saw, and even eating chunks out of each other. It was the most horrible sight I had ever seen, with some of the biggest, nastiest Hollows we had ever fought. I shouted as loud as I could._

"_ARE YOU READY TO FIGHT?"_

"_Yes Captain!"_

"_I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"_

"_YES CAPTAIN"_

"_CHARGE"_

_I let them go first and decided to cover them. Mike bashed away with reiatsu punches as usual. Hiroki spun around like a massive whirlpool, slashing at all sides, Loren slashed in large 'X' shapes at both sides, Brian quickly released his Shikai and slashed in multiple high-speed slashes all over the place, Axel also released his Shikai and slashed in perfectly even circles sending Hollows flying everywhere._

_I flew in for combat._

"_Descend, Tennotsukai!; Angel's Freeze!"_

_I swung my blade in a circle freezing everything around me._

"_Heavens Thunder!"_

_Lightning crashed down, evaporating everything I froze. However almost instantly the large group of spirit particles joined together into one massive, black Hollow with a strange plain mask. I jumped high and struck its mask sideways, then gave one big slice, cutting it all the way down the middle. It also vanished._

_Little by little the randomly shaped Hollows multiplied, while in other spots the big, plain masked Hollows kept appearing. Our battle continued, we seemed to be winning… or so I thought. In a swift, false movement, I was tripped and cornered by three large Hollows, my Zanpaktou flew out of my hands._

_My back against the wall, desperation filled me for a second. I tried to calm down and find an exit, but I was completely surrounded. I remained still. Out of nowhere, I heard the most beautiful voice echo through the entire field. It was as if a warrior princess had descended from heaven on the wings of an angel._

"_Spin… Tatsumakimaru!" (Tornado Ring)_

_The three Hollows in front of me were sent flying upwards in a tornado. I flipped backwards, grabbing my Zanpaktou and fired Heaven's Thunder. Three down. I looked out to see where the voice came from. There was a slim female, spinning on top of a tornado; next to her two more tornadoes swirled, slicing Hollows all through their path. _

_She wore a dark pink band around her waist, which formed in a ribbon behind her, while two long strips fell down a little below her knees. Her hair was up in a ribbon of the same color. In each hand she held a fan, connected to a small handle in which she wrapped her hand. She spun her way down towards me and smiled._

"_What? How? When?" I asked confused_

"_I'll tell you later, Kiss me now." Lahara said. We kissed, my reiatsu intensified sending sparks._

"_I love you… now be careful!" I said_

"_Yes Captain! Hadou no san-juu-san, Soukatsui!" she flipped quickly firing her Kidou, striking a Hollow that was about to jump us_

"_Wow… that… was… so Hot!" I said_

"_I know… now, let's go kick some Hollow ass!" she said as she spun out_

_I flew out to battle, with the hugest smile on my face. My girl had a Zanpaktou… with Shikai! She was my Rukia… so hot. And she's kicking major Hollow ass… awesome! I landed right next to Brian, slicing a Hollow that was about to jump him. We flipped around, landing back to back, covering each other. I sliced upwards, he fired Kidou; he sliced upwards, I fired Kidou. We engaged the perfect battle combination._

_All of a sudden, I felt a strange pressure coming from above… fast. I was about to push Brian aside, when he stabbed his blade into the ground, pulled on my sleeve and swung me aside. Using his other hands double blades, he turned them into a spin, breaking apart the bright red Cero that was fired as us._

"_Amazing!" Tennotsukai said_

"_Totally" I whispered_

_Brian had single handedly broken apart a Cero…wait, a Cero? I looked up and saw the two figures I imagined we would be seeing sometime soon. They looked down at us, each with an evil grin on their faces. Mike flew back towards where I was, ready for a big fight._

"_Brian… remember that thing we talked about?" I asked him_

"_Now?" he asked, already knowing the answer_

"_Do it." I said_

_BANKAI! _

_Brian's three blades broke apart into countless little rays of light. They merged with each other in midair unleashing a bright light. The light quickly faded, revealing Brian's Bankai form. His Shinigami outfit had broken into several, blade like strands. He held a large, bulky blade with a 45 degree angle point; several other glowing blades, smaller in size, floated all around him. It was a truly beautiful Bankai._

"_Kouzoku no Ryukasai" (Lightning Speed Royalty)_

"_Hiroki!" I called_

"_Yes Captain?" he said slashing quickly two small Hollows_

"_You and Brian are in charge!"_

"_Yes Captain!" they both said and flew off into battle_

_Mike and I flew upwards. We faced out enemies, ready for battle. The faced us, ready as well. Our reiatsu clashed, creating sparks. The sky got cloudy, and it began to rain lightly. This was it. It was either victory… or oblivion._


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Final Round

Song: Chapter Four - Avenged Sevenfold

"Hahahaha, HAHAHAHAHAH. It's unbelievable! He made you Captain?! That's hilarious!" Charlie yelled at Mike

"Looks like your ego got a little boost, didn't it Chris? What kind of idiot would risk their lives for you… I mean… it's you." Milton said to me

"You really don't know what youre doing dude… this is crazy… you're both crazy!" Mike said

"Do you guys know why we don't insult you, like you do. Or why we never give up. It's because we know there's still some good in you; and we wanna reach it." I said

"Oh please. There was never any good in us." Milton said

"Yes there was Dude." Mike said

"Do you remember… when we first met, Milton. He he… my car had broken down. I popped the hood and everything was smoking. I had no clue what to do. Until that skinny guy from math class showed up and offered to help me. And what about you Charles? Second school semester, first day of class. I was the typical lost newbie; even though I had already been there for one whole semester. I couldn't find my classroom, and it just so happened that blonde guy from the AV club was taking that class with me. You didn't have to help me… but you did. Now remember this and tell me if you did or not have good inside of you." I said

"Dude, awesome speech." Mike whispered

"You still had no right to lock me up the way you did." Milton said

"You're right, I didn't; and I'm sorry." I said

"Oh you're gonna be sorry alright… Charles, would you do the honors?" Milton said

"It'll be my pleasure."

Charlie said as he raised a hand towards his face. He removed the bandage that covered his eyes with a quick pull. He closed the other eye and looked straight at, as if aiming. I felt an enormous jolt of reiatsu build in a flash. His eye glowed black for a second, right before he said those imponent two words.

"Cero Oscuras"

_**give me your hand, blood is spilt and man will follow**_

_**(Conceived and born was one of light) infernal man, punishment too great to bear(Rain and dark, the other born black night )**_

A massive black beam shot from his eye almost hitting us. We managed to evade the attack, luckily. Milton and Charlie withdrew their Zanpaktou, we prepared our battle stance.

"It's time for you to see what true power looks like." Milton said as he held his blade with one hand, and sliced the other hands fingers through the blades edge, cutting himself.

"Hirogari suru-yochi, Dolor"

_**Raise your head and taste the courage (the one of light) Fall from grace, unholy night **_

Thick smoke formed around Milton covering him whole. Just then, he added something to his already elevated reiatsu.

"Segunda Resureccion… Dolor Absoluto" (absolute pain)

_**I've come here to kill you, won't leave until you've died Murder born of vengeance, I closed my brothers eyes tonight**_

The smoke cleared with an explosion, almost sending us flying away. Milton's appearance changed beyond what it did last time. He had four black wings, each with a sharp, horn like point at the bending spot. A long, bone tail which split into a trident edge. His hands grew as sharp claws, and his forehead grew two long horns.

Charlie placed his blade close to his mouth and took a breath.

"Kishire… Dragon Negro" (Black Dragon)

He blew on his blade sending a large breath of black flames towards us. We evaded the attack, as well and picked up our stances quickly. Charlie's forehead had grown sharp blade like horns facing forward. His face, head, shoulders, arms and back became plated in a heavy armor, representing a dragon. At the end of his lower back, two bone like tails spread out, each with a sharp bladed end, angled like a scythe. From his back, two thick bones spread out, upwards, from which a sharp blade formed outwards; like scythe shaped wings. Topping it all off, an ever so light breath of energy engulfed him from above, as if hugging him. Multiple strands of energy flew backwards from the top of the energy breath, representing long strands of hair.

_**give me your hand, blood is spilt and man will follow**_

_**(Conceived and born was one of light)infernal man, punishment too great to bear (Rain and dark, the other born black night)**_

BANKAI!

"Tsuwamono Tennotsukai"

"Arufa-Omega"

We flew in to battle. Charlie clashed with Mike; I clashed with Milton.

"So, here we are again, huh Chris?" Milton said as my blade clashed with his tail

"I'm not giving up, bro." I said dodging a claw

"I'm not your brother anymore!" He said as he dodged my sword and swung his tail again

"Yes you are; I'm gonna show you!" I said blocking his tail

"You gave me pain, now I'm going to share it." he said as he landed a kick, sending me flying backwards

_**Raise your head and taste the courage (the one of light) Fall from grace, unholy night **_

I flipped in midair, trying to stop myself, but I crashed against Charlie's armored head and got sent flying upwards. I heard two voices call out something in unison.

"Cero Oscuras"

_**I've come here to kill you, won't leave until you've died Murder born of vengeance, I closed my brothers eyes tonight**_

Two massive black beams were shot at me. My Bankais white hair, flew out of my eyes. I lifted my wings backwards and prepared my blade for what I needed to do. Explosion! Smoke… surprise. I saw Charlie's and Milton's faces, as they were struck with surprise, to see me, standing in one piece, my Hollow mask sitting on my face. I turned my blade slightly and swung it at Charlie as hard as I could.

"Getsuga Tenshou"

He blocked the attack with his forearms, but as soon as he turned his head upwards, he was greeted with a close range blade on my part. I saw Milton grab Mike and swing him downwards. Charlie began swinging his scythe like body parts at me with extreme speed, I managed to dodge them all, then stabbed my blade in his left leg.

"Angel's Freeze"

_**Its cold tonight as the clouds turn grey and from my hands to my brothers grave You took his side, you took his gift, feel the power of a fallen man, **_

_**crestfallen man**_

I froze a chunk of his leg, but was sent flying backwards with a flap of his scythe wings. While I flew towards Milton, Mike was sent the opposite way, back to Charlie. I flipped around stopping his claw with a kick, then gave a back flip slicing his abdomen. Tail and blade clashed, as we struggled with each other to take control. Large reiatsu sparks flew and expanded.

Our auras intensified greatly. I could feel the pressure around us build up and shake, crumbling and thundering like lightning in the clouds.

"Face it, you've reached your limit. Your not as strong as you think!" Milton said

Milton began pushing towards me, my blade almost touching my face. I thought I was done for. Just then I heard several voices coming from below. The Shinigami… my friends, were rooting for me, sharing their strength with me. My aura intensified further. Sparks of reiatsu showered from my body. Even the rain, which was now stronger, seemed to give me strength.

_**Far away in this land I must go, out of the site of the One. A punishment sent from his hand a hardship that no one should know Now go out of the site of the One, away in this land you must go.**_

"NO… I make my own limits, and I'm stronger than I think! You can't stop me and you never will as long as you hold on to those feelings."

I shouted as I pushed my blade towards him, the tip touching his forehead.

"True power can't be measured in height, or in muscle, or in spiritual pressure. True power comes from the source of life itself… it comes from the heart!" I said as the energy sparks continued to shower.

"and what do you plan to do with that power?" he asked

"I close my brothers eyes… tonight! Gran Rey Cero!"

I fired the Silver Cero from my blade, sending him flying backwards, while my aura engulfed my entire body in a blinding light. I looked at my blade and saw my reflection. I four more wings expanded from my back, all six wings spread evenly apart. A silver crown floated above my head.

I felt Charlie fly towards me from behind, about to score a reiatsu punch. I moved slightly and grabbed his fist, stopping it. I summoned Hadou 22, without saying a word, and sent Charlie flying backwards… straight into Mike's fist. Mike grabbed him by the neck… which was when I saw what had happened to him. His Bankais armor had covered his entire body; he was literally a golden knight.

And so the knight battled the dragon, while the angel battled the demon.

_**Where has he gone? What have you done? A voice commands from high above this earth. From the soil his blood cries out to me Murder, liar, vengeance, deceit**_

All four auras intensified. We flew into each other at blinding speed. I crashed against Milton, then Charlie, and back to Milton. We continued clashing side to side, randomly switching from one foe to the other. Flashes of light bathed the darkened, rainy skies. Lighting and thunder raced through the skies making perfect company for our lightning fast slashes and our thunder loud crashes.

For one small moment, it was as if time and space had stopped just to witness the intensity of the moment. Four voices echoed through the field in unison.

"GRAN REY CERO"

Explosion.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Farewell

Four lights fell down from the sky with a loud crash, leaving craters in each landing. I opened my eyes and saw a thin cloud of smoke, slowly vanishing, revealing a still darkened sky, adorned with lightning strikes and flashes or light, which danced to the rhythm of resounding thunder.

My heart raced, pounding hard on my ears; my arms wide open, trying to reach my Zanpaktou. My mask and Bankai completely disintegrated. All that remained was my body, a katana, and a large crater. I reached for my Zanpaktou, pulling it towards me with the tip of my fingers. I grasped it tightly and pulled it up to my chest.

"Are you okay?" I asked Tennotsukai

"Yes… but that hurt." he responded

"I'm not sure we're done… can you still go on?"

"I think so… but not for much."

I took a breath and got up on shaky legs. I made my way out of the crater I had formed when I landed. Not too far from me, Milton was trying to stand up straight as well. He glanced at me, I glanced back. He was no longer in his released form; none of us were. The desert like silence let me know the battle against the Hollows was over. The rain subsided.

I raised my blade slowly, trying to keep it raised. Milton growled at me and disappeared in a flash. I felt something coming; I ducked, evading a high flying fist over my head. I turned quickly, raising my blade with all the strength I had left… slice. I thick warm liquid fell down through my Zanpaktou, reaching my hand, as I fell to the ground on my back. Milton looked at me, being held up by the blade, and smiled ever so slightly.

"I guess… you did close my eyes… but… you opened them too."

He vanished slowly as white dust.

Still on the ground I looked around for Mike and Charlie. They stood not too far by in a similar position to Milton and I. They looked at each other, breathing hard; then, they rushed in at blinding speed. All I managed to perceive was a flash and the sound of clashing blades. In the blink of an eye, they were standing in opposite sides of the field, both kneeling down.

Mike turned towards Charlie, but just as Charlie tried to do the same… he vanished.

B-side

After the battle, it took us almost a month to completely recover. We could barely walk for the first week, but after we could the rest of the recovery was smooth sailing. Lahara, Isa, Hiroki, Loren, Axel and Brian took good care of us. We had a lot of visits from our other, countless Shinigami friends. I had a whole corner of my room chock full of slightly deflated balloons.

After that almost month, we made a small trip with Lahara, Isa, and Zile to a lush, green mount on the outskirts of town, overlooking the sea. We planted two small, white tombstone like rocks, to remember our friends on the site of our first ever group picnic. As the five of us looked out toward the sea, three ghosts appeared next to us. Milton, Charlie and Mia.

"I wish we could have had another picnic here…" Lahara said sadly

"That would have been nice." Isa said as she placed her hand on Lahara's shoulder

"Zile… do you think you can forgive me… for what I did?" Milton asked her

"I forgive you, Milton. It wasn't your fault… I understand."

"I still love you… I always will" he said

"So… what do we do now Dude?" Mike asked

"Don't they, like, need a Soul Burial, and stuff?" Isa asked

"I guess so" Charlie said

"I really don't mind, so long as I have my Charles."

"No…" I said as I took a breath "We'll be looking for a way to get you back… I promise."

"So what then?" Milton asked

"Just lay low… I guess" I said

"Well, as long as we can see sunsets like this one… I don't mind being half dead" Milton said

We watched the sunset that day between friends… and wished for time to stop, so it would last forever.


End file.
